Espaços de saúde na história da cidade de Uberaba: o hospital como patrimônio cultural

Abstract

The research investigated the emergence of health institutions in Uberaba during the 19th century until 1960, trying to understand the possible relations between public health concerns and the salubrity of the cities then in force, and the solutions adopted for the implantation of these equipments in the local context and their importance to the urbanization processes of cities. In this context, Uberaba's first hospital, the Holy House of Mercy of Uberaba, was founded in 1858 by the capuchin missionary Friar Eugenio Maria from Genoa, who throughout the 19th century was the only institution to provide health services in the city and region. Only at the beginning of the 20th century other institutions were opened, such as the House of Our Lady of Lourdes (1905), the Saint Sebastian's Sanatorium (1922), the Uberaba's Spiritist Sanatorium (1928), the Smith's Sanatorium (1933), the Hospital of the Portuguese Beneficence Association (1947), Saint Cecily's Hospital (1955), Hospital Dr. Hélio Angotti (1959) and Hospital and Maternity Saint Dominic (1960). Despite the development, consolidation and importance of other urban centers that have hospital assistance near Uberaba, such as Uberlândia and Ribeirão Preto, the city remains, until today, as an important hospital reference center in the region. In addition the work also sought to investigate the importance of these hospitals to the city, contributing to the better knowledge of these institutions, the valorisation and the safeguard of the memory and the cultural heritage of health in Uberaba.